After Hip Surgery, Everything Is Jake For `The Snake'

ALEX MARVEZ INSIDE THE RING

Seven weeks after hip-replacement surgery, Roberts said he is walking without aid and dreaming of a return to the wrestling ring.

"I feel great," said Roberts, a Pompano resident who turns 50 on May 30. "It's amazing how different it makes you feel about yourself without the constant pain. I really had no idea how much pain I was in for five or six years. I had basically ground off my hip joint and lost half an inch of height on my left side.

"I'd love to work again. I have to wrestle at least one more big one."

Just the fact Roberts is still alive, let alone talking about a comeback, may be surprising to those who saw him in a drug-addled state during the 1999 wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat.

Roberts (real name Auerlian Smith Jr.) was one of wrestling's top performers in the 1980s. Roberts popularized the DDT, which became one of the most-copied maneuvers in wrestling history, and was infamous for draping his giant snake Damien upon opponents once they were "unconscious."

Roberts worked in World Wrestling Entertainment from 1986 to 1992 before jumping to World Championship Wrestling.

Roberts' career and personal life then began to slide, including a successful WWE return in 1996 that ended because of out-of-the-ring issues.

While ripping the film Beyond the Mat and director Barry Blaustein's depiction of him, Roberts has admittedly lived life in the fast lane and faded from the mainstream because of it.

"A lot of things I've brought onto myself," said Roberts, who sounded chipper last Tuesday during a 20-minute telephone interview. "I'm not ashamed of where I've been. When you can do 30 years in any business and still stay on top, you've done something very special. Not many people can match my record and the impact I've made on so many different people. Not only wrestlers, but fans alike."

As renowned as he was as a performer, Roberts was just as respected among his peers for his understanding of the wrestling business and its unique psychology. Roberts played an instrumental role in the development of fellow grapplers Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Diamond Dallas Page and Raven.

Such credentials have Roberts hoping WWE will consider adding him to its scriptwriting crew. But even if he doesn't land a front-office role, Roberts should have the chance for regular WWE appearances once again after signing a marketing/merchandising contract recently offered to a slew of veteran performers.

Roberts received such a positive crowd response during a March appearance on Monday Night Raw from Atlanta that he was brought back to interfere in the non-televised main event.

"It was a joy to go out and get that reaction," said Roberts, who moved to Pompano earlier this year. "People went psycho, and that was kind of the proof of the pudding. When you haven't been on TV for eight or nine years and get that type of reaction, you know you've left a mark and all that work you did all those years wasn't for nothing."

Roberts will be signing free autographs from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday at Mickey's Fest, a party featuring a barbeque and motorcycle show at Mickey's Bar and Package, 350 S.W. 12th Ave., in Pompano Beach. Admission is free. Information, call 954-946-4777.

A. Graziano and Mamaluke are expected to reform their FBI (Full Blooded Italians) pairing June 12 on WWE's One Night Stand pay-per-view show, which is a reunion card for former Extreme Championship Wrestling performers emanating from New York City.

More wrestling news can be found at www.wrestling observer.com. Questions can be sent to Alex Marvez c/o the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301, or e-mailed to amarvez@sun-sentinel.com. Please include your full name and city of residence. Because of volume, no phone calls will be accepted and letters will not receive a written reply.